Laundry check



March 8, 1927. 1,62%,158

E. LANE.

LAUNDRY CHECK Original Filed April 24, 1925 ENVENTQR 5151mm Lam PatentedMar. 8, 13327.

UNITED STATES PATENT EDWIN LANE, OF NEWYOBK, ASSIGNOB TO CAROLYNLAUNDRY, OF NEW YORK,

N. Y A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LAUNDRY CHECK.

The present invention relates to certain novel and useful improvementsin checking devices, and has particular application to a laundry markeror tag adapted to be attached to garments and other pieces or articlesfor the purpose of identifying the pieces belonging to each customer, sothat such pieces may be segregated, laundered, and recollected withoutloss or confusion,

This application is a division 01 my copending application for laundrychecking devices, filed April 24, 1925, Serial No. 25,593.

Heretofore, various forms of laundry checks or tags, have beensuggested, such as those wherein an ordinary safety pin is attached tothe tag, and those wherein the tag is in the nature of a relativelythick multiply clamping plate of metal, usually requiring a special toolfor applying it to the piece or article to be laundered.

To such forms of tags. or markers, certain disadvantages are incident.For example, in the markers employing the safety pin arrangement, thepin is usually required to be of such size that in pentrating thegarment or other article it forms a relatively large perforation, and inaddition is liable to. become entangled with the fabric in thelaundering operations, and frequently tears or damages the. garment. Incase of the multiply metal clamping plates, these also are generally ofsuch sizeand thickness as to require special prongs to maintain theplate in clamping relation tothe piece being laundered, and consequentlyalso present the liability of tearing or injuring such piece.

In the present instance, I aim to obviate these disadvantages byproviding a relatively thin flat plate provided with small perforationsby means of which the marker may be stitched either by hand or machineto the article to be laundered. Furthermore, such flat thin plate isprovided with an identifying number or character and also with thekey-way by means of which the check or marker, when not in use, maycooperate with and be applied to a key bar or rod of properconfiguration, so that all similarly numbered or identified tags may bestrung upon a proper or complementary key bar, thereby avoidingconfusion in the distribution of the tags, and consequently in thesorting of the laundered pieces.

this application filed, November Another in portant object of theinvention resides in the provision of a laundry marker having attachingmeans associated therewith in such a manner that at least'one of theattaching means will lac-disposed in, position for immediate attachmentto a laundry piece regardless of how the. marker is held while beingpicked up and applied to the laundry piece. I

With the above recited objects and others of a similar nature in view myinvention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement ofparts set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings; 4 i

Fig. 1 is a perspective view-of a plurality of my key markers threadedupon a complementary key bar;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the tag or marker. 7 Referring now tothe accompanying drawings in detail, and particularly to the tag ormarker itself, the numeral 1 indicates the body of the tag which is inthe nature of a single fiat piece of sheet metal which may be ofrectangular form shown, or QfOtllQl suitable shape. The check opening 2is formed centrally in this flat single plate having key-correspondingslots 3 and an identifying numberor character 4.it being understood thatall checksbearing the same identifying characteror number are for use inconnection with the batch of articles or pieces of a particularcustomer. The marker or plate is also provided with a, pluralityofminute thread holes 5 located preferably near the corners, and entirelyaround the slot 3.

The disposition of the thread holes or attaching device 5 of the markeris of great importance in that it facilitates the work of an operativein securing the markers to the laundry pieces. It will be observed thatthese thread holes 5, are arranged at the four corners of the marker soas to totally surround the check opening 2.

Due to this arrangement, it will be obvious that the operative can withgreat facility pass a thread through one or more of the thread holes 5and the laundry piece, regardless of the position in which the marker isheld while being picked up and applied to the laundry piece. This isalso the case, even though the markers are not held in a predeterminedrelationship, as when they are simply loosely scattered in a suitablereceptacle. The number of thread holes by which the marker is attachedto a laundry piece depends upon how much of the marker overlaps thelaundry piece when applied thereto for sewing, for if only one corner ofthe marker overlaps the laundry piece only the thread hole 5 in thatcorner will be employed for attaching the marker. On the other hand, ifthe marker happens to be applied to the laundry piece so that two ormore of the thread holes overlap the laundry piece, all of the threadholes or as many as desired may be employed in the attachment of themarker by passing a thread through one or more of the thread holes andthe laundry piece. In previously known laundry markers or tags thethread holes or attaching means have been located only at one end of thesame, which arrangement results in a loss of time in the application ofthe tags to laundry pieces, due to the fact that the operative must turnor adjust the tag so that its thread holes overlap the garment to whichit is to be attached. With applicant-"s arrangement of thread holes theloss of time incident to the manipulation and adjusting of the tags isentirely eliminated, which obviously results in an enormous saving oftime when the large quantity of such markers used in an up-to-datelaundry is considered.

In Fig. 1, I have shown a key bar 6, fastened by a suitable bracket 7 toa wall or other support, this key bar having ribs 8, cooperating inlocation and form with the key aperture in fiat plate-like marker orcheck, so that a particular marker or check may be strung or fitted uponthe key bar. The rib and key slot arrangement of the bar and markers orchecks may be arranged in almost unlimited permutations, a differentcooperative formation being provided for each key bar and its set ofidentically numbered markers, so that the sorter need depend on numbersor marking characters only as a guide to a particular sortingcoinpartment at which the appropriate key bar islocated, and then whenplacing the fabric in the compartment the check or key opening of. themarker is passed over the key, and the fitting of the key shows that theiden tification of the garment or fabric is correct, and failure of aparticular marker or check to fit upon particular key bar shows that anerror has been made, which is then corrected by re-inspection of theit'lentitication character or number.

It will be noted that the flat plate when stitched to the garment orother article may be placed inward of the edge thereof, if desired, andstitched in such position, and being thin and flat will. form noprojecting part of consequence to catch in the laundering machine or tocause trouble in other ways. Furthermore, there are no projecting metalparts or clamping device or pins for catching and tearing the article towhich the check is attached.

I claim:

1. A marker check for the purpose des tribed, comprising a substantiallyilat plate having a plurality of laundry piece attaching means locatedat spaced points entirely around the edges of the plate whereby at leastone of said attaching means is in proper position to be attachcdto a.laundry piece in the same position it is picked up, and regardless ofthe position it is held in when it is picked up to be attached to saidlaundry piece. V

2. A marker check for the purpose described, comprising a substantiallyflat plate having a central key-way therein, and a plurality of threadperforations located at spaced points entirely around said key-way,whereby atleast one of said perforations is in proper position toreceive means for attachment of the check in the same position it ispicked up and regardless of the position it is held in when it is pickedup to be at tached to said laundry piece.

3. A marker check for the purpose described, comprising a substantiallyflat rectangular plate of a single ply of metal having a key perforationtherein, an identifying character thereon, said plate having a threadperforation at each of its corners whereby at least one of said threadperforations is in proper position to receivelaundry piece attachingmeans in the same position it is picked up and regardless of theposition it is held in when it is picked up to be attached to saidlaundry piece.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this33rd day of September, A. D. 1925.

EDVIN LANE.

